Welcome to the Search Site for the
Sacramental Token Books of St Saviour, Southwark

NOTE: This site is still being developed. Please report any issues to the developers, by clicking on 'Contact' above.

What are token books?
Tokenbooks are the written record of the effort, by the officers of St Saviour parish, in the weeks preceding Easter each year,
to require every head of household in the parish to purchase tokens for the Easter communion, one token for each person over sixteen years of age in the
household. These tokens were to be turned in at the church by communicants on the day of communion.

How many books are there?
144 token books survive from St Saviour's, ranging in date from about 1571 to 1643. It's not a complete series; some entire years, and some parts of some years
are missing, and books from before 1571 are lacking as well. It isn't clear whether the practice stopped after 1643, but the surviving books, quite fulsome up to
that point, abruptly terminate then.

Why are they important?
The St. Saviour tokenbooks are unique among surviving records of English parishes. No other parish has such an extensive record from such an early date.
They are important because they provide a unique annual census of parishioners and households from the 1570s to 1643 for a parish which, among other things,
was a center of entertainment.

How can I use this site?
Five tabs appear across the top of the page: they can be clicked at any time. They are:

Main Homepage, which will return you to the main St Saviour page.

Token Books Homepage, which will bring you to the page you are currently viewing.

Manual, which will allow you to view one of three resources:
1) a "How-To-Use" guide, which describes the use of the Search facility;
2) a description of the historical use and function of token books;
3) a guide to the editorial procedures used in this site.

Search, the most important part of the site, where you can search for the names of individual parishioners, or for other key elements
of the token book entries. Links to descriptions, transcriptions, and images of all tokenbooks are also available here.